the shoe

“In the corners of the icon, the archangels Michael and Gabriel hover, holding the instruments of Our Lord’s Passion. Michael, on the left, bears the spear, the wine-soaked sponge, and the crown of thorns. Gabriel, on the right, holds the cross and the nails.
“The Child Jesus knows that these instruments are a necessary part of His mission in the world. Nonetheless, His human nature shrinks from the realities of His Passion, and He flies to His Mother in such anguish that His shoe comes off.”
-Catholiccompany.com